The present invention relates to cleaning equipment in which cleaning liquid is taken from a container and returned to the container after the liquid has been used for cleaning. The present invention is particularly useful for a cleaning bucket for use with a cleaning element or device such as a floor mop, cleaning sponge, scrubbing pad, and the like, that is repeatedly wrung out into the bucket. In particular, the present invention relates to a separator effective for separating particulate soil from the main body of liquid in a container and maintaining the separated soil from the main body of liquid even while the main body of liquid is being disturbed.
A problem with known cleaning equipment is that dirt deposited out from the cleaning liquid collects at the bottom of the container but is redistributed into the main body of liquid when the liquid is disturbed by, for example, rinsing out a mop or sponge. Consequently, the cleaning element, such as the mop or sponge, picks up the redistributed dirt allowing it to be redeposited onto the clean surface, and potentially scratching many types of scrubbed surfaces. Moreover, the container is often emptied and cleaned out before the cleaning constituents of the liquid are actually exhausted.
Several solutions have been proposed for these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,799 proposes a partition that is particularly useful for a mop cleaning device. The partition divides the container into side-by-side compartments with the expectation that the dirt or soil remain in one compartment while the other compartment is substantially dirt or soil-free. This proposed solution, however, is bulky, complicated, and not suitable for home consumer use.
Another proposed solution can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,264 where the bottom of a bucket is provided with a dirt trap. The trap includes a mat or pad-like form that receives dirt settling under gravity and traps the dirt below the element. The trap is described as a porous, cellular, or mesh-like structure, or as a molded rubber or plastic having passages such as corkscrew passages. This structure allows dirt to pass through and/or be trapped within the mesh or passages. In addition, the top of the mat is provided with an array of spaced fronds or strands that will float and stand up when there is no disturbance of the liquid but will lie flat when disturbance is considerable to seal of the top of the mat to protect the dirt from disturbance. While this solution may be effective, it would appear to be prohibitively expensive to manufacture for all but industrial use.
Thus, there still exists a need for an inexpensive yet effective apparatus capable of separating dirt or soil from the main body of liquid in a container and maintaining the separated dirt or soil from the main body of liquid even when the main body of liquid is being disturbed.